Masuda is conveniently located for a variety of sightseeing tours. To the west you can visit Hagi and Nagato-Onsenkyo (Hot spring resort). To the east you can visit the Iwami Ginzan Silver Mine and Yunotsu Hot Spring. If you go further, you can visit Izumo Taisha Shrine (Isumo Oyashiro Shiraine), Adachi Museum of Art, Matsue, and the holy places of Viant. To the south you can visit Tsuwano, where you meat many swiming carps in the city, and Yamaguchi on a day trip. There is a Hagi Iwami Airport, and it takes 2 hours from Tokyo to Masuda by morning and evening. Please enjoy sightseeing around Masuda starting from here. I will show you the recommended tours at the end.
1. Iwami Area
Masuda City is located in the western part of the Shimane prefecture. It is called the Iwami Area, which includes neighboring Hamada City, Gotsu City, Oda city, and also Masuda. This area has a common tradition, such as the Iwami Kagura, but each area is making use of its own town development. There are many sightseeing spots to enjoy, including the Iwami Silver Mine and Yunotsu Hot Spring (World heritage), Hamada ports, such as the “Nodoguro (Fish)”, the “Tsuwano” as a small Kyoto where carp swim through the city, which is a Japanese heritage site, and the Mimata Hot Spring for beautiful skin. For details, refer to Iwami Area Sightseeing (click here).
2. Hot spring (Onsen)
There are several hot springs (Onsen) in and near Masuda.
There is a Tada Onsen in the city, and people on their way home from work and students after the club come to take a bath. There are also Mito Onsen, Tama River Onsen, Hikimi Onsen, Futagawa Onsen, etc. with a rest area where you can relax and enjoy the hot spring, which are 20 minutes away by car. There is also a Mimata Onsen near the neighboring Hamada City, which has been voted as the best hot spring for beautiful skin, and it is a place that hot spring lovers should definitely visit. You can bathe in these hot springs for about the same price as a public bath, and it is not very crowded, so how about a hot spring trip?
3. One day trip (Tsuwano, Hagi, Motonosumi-jinjya, Iwami Silver Mine)
Take the National Route 9 to the south and you will come to Tsuwano. Tsuwano is a town where many carps swim in the waterways of the city and where samurai residences are located. If you go up the stairs through the numerous vermillion torii, you will come to Taikodani Inari-jinja Shrine, one of the five great Inari-jinja Shrines. It is also a small town where you can walk around, such as the birthplace of Ogai Mori, Otome-no-toge Pass and Anno Mitsumasa Museum. It is the starting and ending station of the steam locomotive that runs through Yamaguchi Line, and I think it will be a good memory for those who love steam locomotives. It is a good place for those who want to spend a relaxing time without worrying about time.
Driving further south, you’ll find the stunning limestone caves of Syuuhoudou Limestone Cave, karst plateau’s Akiyoshidai, and Yamaguchi, a city made famous by the Newyork Times, which is also a good day trip.
If you drive west on Japan National Route 191 from Masuda, you will come to Hagi. Hagi is, needless to say, a place associated with the end of the Edo period and the Meiji Restoration. It is a tourist town with ruins of residences, Hagiyaki Pottery and Hagi glass, the remains of reverbatory furnace as a world heritage site, and Mount Kasayama that is the world’s smallest volcano. There are so many sightseeing spots that you can’t visit them in a day.
If you go by car from Hagi, there is the Motonosumi-jinja Shrine, which has a row of red torii gates against the backdrop of the Sea of Japan. If you go further west, there is the Tsuno-shima, where you can experience driving on the sea. In Nagatoshi, there is also the Oumijima Island, where you can enjoy a wonderful cruise. These can be visited as a day trip from Masuda.
If you drive east from Masuda, you can visit the Iwami Silver Mine as a world heritage site, and Yunotsu Hot Spring as a retro hot spring resort, where you can enjoy time-slipped streets with traditional houses and landscapes intact.
Motonosumi-jinja Shrine, Tsuno-shima and Nagato-Onsen hot spring
the remains of reverbatory furnace as a world heritage site ,etc. in Hagi
4. Overnight sightseeing
It takes about three hours by car, but it is possible to return in one day. There is the world-famous Adachi Museum of Art, which is one of the best gardens in the country. In addition to the wonderful Japanese gardens, Yokoyama Taikan’s paintings are on display, and you can enjoy the three dimensional ink painting.
There is also the “Izumo Taisha Shrine” which is famous for matchmaking and is the month of Kamiari when the gods gather in October, Lake Shinji which is famous for a freshwater clam, Matsue Castle which is one of the few castles that still has the castle tower and is a national treasure, the Prefectural Museum of Art which has a permanent exhibition of the Hokusai collection, a tour of the holy places of VIANT, Kamedake which is the model station for the film “Suna no Utsuwa”, and Kitaro Road which is famous for monsters. Why don’t you schedule Masuda City along with these sightseeing spots?
The Adachi Museum of Art
5. Tour example
1) Hagi
Hagiyaki Pottery kilns and Hagi Glass Workshop, Meirinkan, Shokason-juku, the ruins of residences, World Heritage reverbatory furnace
There are many Hagiyaki Pottery kilns, so please choose your favorite one. Hagi glass has its own cracked glass tableware. At Hagi no Michi no Eki, you can eat Hagi’s Branded Beef Kenran Beef and rare Mishima Beef burgers. However, they will be sold out soon, so please wait in line until 11:20 when the store opens. Please choose your favorite one from the many cafes in the ruins of the residence and enjoy a break in the early afternoon.
2) Motonosumi-jinjya Shine and Nagato-yumoto hot spring
3) Oumijima cruise
The Omijima Island cruise allows you to visit places that can only be seen by boats, such as blue caves and oddly-shaped rocks and cliffs. If, unfortunately, the wind is strong and the waves are rough, the operation may be restricted or may not be operated.
4) Tsuwano
Taikodani Inari-jinja Shrine, Samurai residences, Many swiming carps in the waterways of the city, Otome no Toge, Ogai Mori Nativity, Anno Mitsumasa Museum, steam locomotive (operated on Saturdays, Sundays, etc.)
5) Iwami Silver Mine and Yunotsu Hot Spring
The Iwami Silver Mine and Yunotsu Hot Spring as a retro hot spring resort are the world heritage site.
The Iwami Ginzan Silver Mine still has a traditional building, so take your time and stroll around. At the Yunotsu Hot Spring, please visit the historic Yakushi-Yu. You can enjoy the traditional hot spring. There is also a terrace on the second floor where you can enjoy the hot spring village after taking a bath.
6) Yamaguchi city, Syuhou-dou and Akiyoshi-dai
Rurikoji in Yamaguchi City (famous for its five storied pagoda, which is now under repair), the stunning limestone caves of Syuuhou-dou Limestone Cave, and karst plateau’s Akiyoshi-da.
Akiyoshi-do Limestone Cave is a large limestone cave with a huge golden pillar inside. You can enjoy the natural treasures while walking along the paved walkway. You can also see karst plateau’s Akiyoshidai nearby.
7) Sandan-kyo and Hikimi-kyo
Sandan-kyo is a ravine in the Chugoku Mountains where you can enjoy cherry blossom viewing in the spring, river walks in the summer, and spectacular views during the autumn leaves. Hikimi-kyo is a clear stream from the source of the Takatsu River that flows through Masuda. You can also enjoy fishing and playing in the river. It’s a good place for those who like ravine trekking. If you get tired from walking in the ravine, relax in the hot spring with smooth skin at Hitomi Onsen.